


Welcome to Hogwarts

by MasterChachki



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Also Hogwarts is in a floaty time. Possible cameos and character deaths generally ignored, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hogwarts AU, M/M, basically follows events up until First Date, cameos of other characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-11
Updated: 2014-05-11
Packaged: 2018-01-24 02:57:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1589120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MasterChachki/pseuds/MasterChachki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>HogwartsAU where Cecil and Carlos meet not in Night Vale, but at Hogwarts.</p>
<p>The two meet, and it simply a chance encounter. Everywhere else is either too full or too unpleasant. It's all awkward but still somehow perfect and they become the best of friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Welcome to Hogwarts

**Author's Note:**

> I have been meaning to do this for AGES. I wrote a basic version of this a few months ago, but I have been wanting to rewrite it forever. And it turned into a fully fleshed out, multi-chaptered fic. I know how everything will go, and quite literally every chapter will be one year of Hogwarts. Some will be long, others will be short (I know for a fact chapter two and chapter seven will be short, two being the shortest). But everything is planned, I have everything written down so that they just need to be finished.  
> If any of you have read my first version, then you'll know how everything goes down. HOWEVER, all of it has been rewritten, and only general plot things are the same. So, you know, I'd say you should read this too HEH.

Year One

They meet because of chance. They meet because of luck, or perhaps not luck. They meet because everywhere else on the train was too full or too unpleasant: both first years, both scared, but both oh so curious and excited.

Cecil, a young boy from the desert town, Night Vale, considered himself lucky. He had survived childhood, escaped the terrible fate of the Summer Reading Program, and was on his way to one of the most prestigious schools of magic in the world. He had heard from the other children that it would be so much different from home. Librarians didn’t have claws, perhaps the occasional untrimmed fingernail, but nonetheless at least more humanoid and much more forgiving. He’d heard that while they were kept an eye on at all times of the day, it was what the older kids called, minimal surveillance, and to ask for help, to only ask for a house elf instead of saying, ‘Something’ to a bush or trashcan to alert the Sheriff’s Secret Police.

He was lost in thought when another boy, who seemed to be his age, had peeked in and asked if he could join him. Cecil was about to answer, but stuttered to a stop.

The boy, Cecil could only describe, was perfect. Not necessarily in looks, but there was a good sense to him. Cecil had been able to recognize certain things about people from a very young age. His brother had called it a gift, his mother, well…his mother would just stare at him intensely whenever there was mention of it until he giggled loudly.

Outwardly the boy was…cute. There was no other way to describe it. He had an awkwardness about him, his mop of hair thick and unruly. His cheeks were still a little chubby from baby fat and he had braces to straighten out the gap in his front teeth and his face had a few freckles that had begun to blend into his tanned skin. He already had glasses, though not thick, it seemed as though it would most likely become worse as he grew older.

He could sense a lot of curiosity in him, a special kind of courage. A rashness, a fear, a special kind of love. It was all mixed in him and his future that Cecil couldn’t stop staring and hadn’t noticed yet that he made the boy a little uncomfortable. Before Cecil knew it, the boy had muttered an apology for disturbing him and was about to leave before Cecil caught himself and stopped him.

“Oh no! I’m sorry—I didn’t realize. I—darn it Cecil, you know to stop…--oh sorry! Uhm, please don’t go, I mean, there’s probably not going to be another empty car or like, something like that,” he said.

The boy blinked, but looked relieved and nodded. He clambered in and hurriedly put his luggage in the top compartment in an attempt to not be awkward. However, he clanged his luggage loudly on the top shelf and could feel his cheeks flush as he muttered an apology.

“I’m uhm, Carlos, by the way,” he said, in an attempt to break the awkward silence that had fallen over the two as he tried to put himself back together. Carlos settles down eventually and Cecil hadn’t realized he had been staring again before he jumped a little in his seat.

“Oh! I’m Cecil. Cecil Palmer. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he replied, offering a warm smile. Carlos returned it a bit shyly and the two begin to make small chat. Cecil finds out that was was a muggle-born and that his parents were scientists. They almost didn’t let him come because magic was not exactly scientific, but the headmaster had come by and explained that he would be learning much of what muggle children would normally learn in school and more.

Cecil had only just started talking about his home town when the door was opened, and a woman asked them if they wanted to buy any candy. Carlos declined, not having any money on him and taking out a sandwich his gramma had made him. Cecil however jumped up and bought at least four of everything she had. Except the Bertie Botts. He only asked for one.

Carlos looked on jealously for a moment but before any feelings were really hurt, Cecil was pushing half the candy towards him and said that since he was a muggle-born he figured Carlos hadn’t tried any wizard candy and that he got extra because wizard candy was of particularly high quality. He tried to turn him down, but Cecil insisted, saying it was a sort of apology for creeping him out when he first walked in. He continued to say that if that wasn’t enough, he could pay him back by staying just a bit longer because he knew sometimes he was a little too weird.

Carlos worked it over in his head a bit, but decided to stick around, if only because he felt curious about the strange boy with violet eyes.

The two snacked on candy while they learned more about each other. Several hopes and dreams and even some existential fears became known in the process. It seemed like the journey had taken just enough time, but not enough time at all as when they hopped off the train, they were completely energized and wanted to learn so much more about the other. It probably didn’t help that the two had finished off a good chunk of the candy.

The two started talking about the possibilities of being in the same house, but gods help them all if they did: they would be completely unstoppable.  
\---  
Alas, fate does not like things to be too simple.

Carlos, a self-proclaimed scientist with a healthy sense of intelligence and wisdom gets sorted into Gryffindor. It is because of his slightly irrational tendency to rush in to find the facts first through experience than through carefully studied facts. It makes him reckless, but oh so brave.

Cecil, though he is courageous, willing to stand up to the darker figures in Night Vale and protect those dear to him, he is sorted into Ravenclaw. It is because of his curiosity and natural ability to just know what needs to be known. Occasionally it makes him too headstrong, but his wisdom and common sense keep him safe in the end, usually.

The two are sorely disappointed that they would not be in the same house together, knowing they are only a table apart. The two smile and wave before digging into the delicious meal that appeared before them.  
\---  
Admittedly, Cecil did find some solace in that he and Steve Carlsberg were not placed in the same house. He knew the boy would be in the same year as he was, but he feared he would end up having to spend a good majority of his first few months with him, as they were from the same town. Steve was placed in Hufflepuff. He didn’t clearly understand why, but as it turned out, Steve was much more loyal to Night Vale than any had originally thought. He simply knew and liked to point out the obvious because he was a jerk like that.

Cecil was also a bit creeped out upon seeing a boy that looked just like him. The only difference was his eyes, dark as obsidian, and his smile, was that even what one could call a smile? Even from a distance he could feel something dark from him. The boy’s name was apparently Kevin, and when he walked by, he could smell blood on his cloak and simply knew he had to have been from Desert Bluffs. The boy was eventually sorted into Slytherin. Cecil felt as if the two of them might have been mirrors of each other, but shook that image away. Mirrors would cause his death. He simply decided he would avoid Kevin whenever and wherever he could.  
\---  
The two of them have a few days before classes began, to allow them to get situated to their new environment.

Cecil spent the first day there in the library, spending as much time as he could to read books that were banned and censored in his home town. He was a fast reader and was able to do a quick read of everything he needed to know for the semester. The second time there, about halfway through the day, he spots Carlos walking in and grabbing a few books to read. There wasn’t a space near him, so the two didn’t get a chance to talk, but it gave him a plan for the next day.

So he arrived very early in the morning the next day, grabbing a large pile of fairy tales and spell books before sitting down. He didn’t plan on leaving his spot that day until he saw Carlos again. He made sure to save an extra spot and was in sight of the door, both for himself to keep an eye out, and for Carlos to see him immediately.

It took a few hours, but Carlos eventually arrived and gravitated towards Cecil the moment he saw him. Cecil looked up and acted as nonchalant as possible, “Carlos! Good to see you, do you need a seat? I got here a short while ago and there’s space here and it’s crowded and you look like you could use a seat and I keep talking and the librarians have started glaring at me and I should probably whisper. When did I start talking at a normal volume--?” The last few words came out as little more than a squeak.

Carlos smiled and might have giggled, but he hid it behind a cough so to not accidentally hurt Cecil’s feelings. He pulled out the chair next to him adding a whispered, “Thanks Cecil…that was nice of you.” He took out a book from his bag and settled down next to him. He glanced over at Cecil’s book and couldn’t read any of the words on the cover. Curious, he asked what it was.

Cecil jumped a little but replied, “It’s a book of fairy tales from the wizarding world. My school wants me to keep up with Weird Spanish, it’s different from regular Spanish, so like, I thought I might at least enjoy my studies a bit more.” He paused so that Carlos nodded in understanding and asked if it really was as interesting as he said. Perhaps just a little too enthusiastically he said, “Yeah! It’s pretty neat!” to which he immediately flushed and turned back to his book, both trying to hide and look as casual as possible until Carlos laughed again and turned back to his own books.

The two sat next to each other for a few hours until Carlos decided to head back to his room. Cecil had scarcely moved an inch in that entire time, not even turning the page. He barely even noticed when Carlos bid him a goodnight, and the second he was out of sight, Cecil fell forward onto the table muttering to himself, ‘Neat? _NEAT?!_ Who even says that?! Who even is lame enough to say something as lame as _neat_?! Stupid _STUPID_ Cecil!’  
\---  
While Cecil and Carlos weren’t in the same houses, they thankfully had Potions and Charms together. The two immediately partnered up when given the chance and the professors were happy to oblige. However, they both found that where one of them excelled, the other was terrible.

Cecil had a slight knack for Charms. Having grown up in a town like Night Vale, he knew that pronunciation and energy had to go into each and every chant, so transferring that into a spell was simple for him and he was able to get many of the spells quickly. However in Potions, since he often liked to cook for himself, he typically liked to use what he called, the eye-ball method. Always guestimating just how much of an ingredient he had to put into the mix. It left them with some…unsavory results.

Carlos on the other hand was a natural at Potions. His family being made up of scientists, he learned from an early age that accuracy and precision were key in any and all science. The same transferred over to Potions and he treated it just as he would chemistry. This did transfer over into his other classes, where it led him to some trouble. He understood the theory behind casting spells, but he didn’t understand what he himself had to put into magic other than just the words. It made for some very weak attempts. Enough to pass, but up not to his standards.

And so, the two of them decided to meet up in the library and the occasional empty classroom in order to work on both subjects.

Cecil began to teach Carlos how to put his energy into each spell. They would meet in unused classrooms during study hours. He knew Carlos had the wand movements down perfectly and he was saying each word clearly and with emphasis. Sometimes, he would say it a little too loudly, thinking louder necessarily means more energy goes into the spell itself, after all, you are using more energy in order to speak louder. However, Cecil has to teach Carlos to feel the spell, to imagine it doing what he wants the spell to do. That, he explained, is how one puts energy into their spellcasting. The first time Carlos tries it like that, there was a significant difference in the Levitating spell, floating much higher than he could get it during class. However, it wasn’t perfected yet, it took four or five more times before Carlos finally got the hang of it.

Carlos taught Cecil how to follow directions, sometimes becoming exasperated with him as he didn’t get why some things couldn’t go with others, but after a while he started to get the hang of it and didn’t need to rely as much on Carlos to guide him. If he occasionally stirred the wrong way in order to get Carlos to physically show him purposely, he would never admit it. Ever. Everything was simply an accident.

And if Carlos didn’t feel just a little warm each time and let his hand linger a while longer, it was all completely subconscious. Yes. That was it definitely.  
\---  
In general the year passes without too much of an incident and the two make plans to see each other over the summer. Cecil becomes worried that it’d be too dangerous for Carlos to come visit him in Night Vale, so the two spend the first month of summer at Carlos’.

As it turns out, Cecil never watched any of the Disney movies as a kid, Night Vale censorship and whatnot, and that leads Carlos to making him marathon every single one of them. Even the ones he himself didn’t like. By the end of it, the two start singing at each other, in particular they make cardboard swords and sing ‘Make a Man out of You’ loudly and proudly to the whole neighborhood.

Carlos’ parents simply adore Cecil too, he’s polite, he’s kind, and most importantly, he was the first friend that Carlos had made that liked him for him, and not just because he could help Cecil with his science homework or, potions homework as it was.

The month passes quickly and Cecil goes back to Night Vale alone for a few days, and while Carlos wanted to just go with him immediately, he told him that he should spend a few days with his parents. There was some truth in that, though he didn’t explain everything right away. He was worried because he needed to make sure things were safe enough for Carlos to visit.  
\---  
Night Vale seems to welcome Carlos with open arms. The two stay with Old Woman Josie, as Cecil’s mother had disappeared a day or two before for oracle reasons, and it simply was not safe for the two to be completely alone.

Carlos was absolutely fascinated with the entirety of the town and even though it made him uncomfortable at first, he got along easily with the Sheriff’s Secret Police as they were simply there to make sure he and everyone in town was safe.

The two went on several adventures, and even though Cecil was alright with breaking just a few rules to indulge his best friend, he drew the line at the Library, knowing that even though Carlos could use magic to protect himself, he was not the strongest physically and the Cecil was not sure the two would be able to make it out safely if they tried.

They did get into a little trouble occasionally, but the SSP let them go with a warning and a slap on the wrist because they had a soft spot for Cecil, and had gained another one for Carlos as well.  
\---  
The month passes much more quickly than either of them thought possible, time was pretty weird in Night Vale after all, but before they knew it, it was time for them to make the trip to Diagon Alley to prepare for their second year of Hogwarts.

**Author's Note:**

> So there's that. Hope it was enjoyable (and better than the original sweet jeebus). I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but it'll be faster than the third one should be done. Just 'cause of length and whatnot. I have a lot of projects I'm working on at the same time as this so...you know. But this is one of the upper priorities of course. (Let's be real I live, eat, and breath Night Vale and RoosterTeeth heh...)  
> So yeah~stay tuned WOO


End file.
